Wood for chariots (Was SV: method of dating RV, III]

S.Kalyanaraman kalyan99 at NETSCAPE.NET
Wed Nov 4 19:01:17 UTC 1998


> Not only Drews. Anthony also writes years after Drews.> (Also, Anthony
writes that PIE as a language existed after> 3500 B.C. and the breakup could
be as late as 2000 B.C..> He also places much emphasis on technical
innovations (chariots)> for the spread of IE).

Let me cite from the Rigveda:

abhi vyayasva khadirasya sa_ramojo dhehi spandane s'im.s'apa_ya_m
aks.a vi_l.o vil.ita vi_l.ayasva ma_ ya_ma_dasma_dava ji_hipo nah (RV.
3.53.19)

Fix firmly the substance of the khayar (axle), give solidity to the s'is'u
(floor) of the car; strong axle, strongly fixed by us, be strong; cast us not
from out of our conveyance. [Sa_yan.a explains that from khadira (mimosa
catechu) the bolt of the axle is made; and from s'im.s'apa_ (dalbergia
sissoo), the wood for the chariot's floor is made]
Dalbergia sissoo = Indian rosewood, also called iruvi.l.i (Tamil)
[Other lexemes and image:http://sarasvati.simplenet.com/Indian
Lexicon/dalbergia.htm; http://sarasvati.simplenet.com/dalbergiasissoo.jpg]

I have two questions:

Do the archaeological reports indicate the nature of wood used in
the chariot fragments unearthed?
Is Dalbergia Sissoo commonly found in Central Asia, just as it is in abundant
measure in the Sarasvati River Basin?

Regards,
Kalyanaraman

____________________________________________________________________
More than just email--Get your FREE Netscape WebMail account today at http://home.netscape.com/netcenter/mail





More information about the INDOLOGY mailing list